Community of the Disciples of Christ in Congo sends Missionary to Kisangani

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

During the General Assembly in July at Mbandaka a decision was made to open an extension in Kisangani. The delegates chose Joseph Kabemba to carry out this task as a missionary.

During the General Assembly in July at Mbandaka a decision was made to open an extension in Kisangani. The delegates chose Joseph Kabemba to carry out this task as a missionary. Following is a letter from Joseph describing the work:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In view of the evolution of the church in our country, the Church of Christ in Congo has authorized member communities to spread out over all the extent of the DRC.

Following that decision, the Community of Disciples of Christ in Congo has decided to extend its range of action to other provinces of the DRC. It is already present in Bas-Congo (BOMA), in Bandundu, and it plans to locate in Katanga and Kasai.

It was in this logic that the last General Assembly, held in July at Mbandaka, decided to open an extension at Kisangani in Oriental Province. This same Assembly assigned me as MISSIONARY in order to realize this wish of the Assembly. You can see in my notification (letter attached). This thrilled me for that same Assembly had chosen me to assume the same functions of Missionary in Germany, and from there I went to reopen a former American mission at Lotumbe.

Very thrilled by this call, I arrived at Kisangani Nov. 2 and I was well received by a small nucleus of members of the CDCC who are in Kisangani. The city of Kisangani is the Capitol of Oriental Province. It is the third largest city if DRC after Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, with a population of 659,000. It has 6 communes. The Congo River runs through it. The Province borders on Sudan and Uganda, countries that furnish most of the manufactured products to the population of the province.

It is important to emphasize that the population of Kisangani has known many consecutive difficulties from different wars that have taken place there. In fact the Rwandan Ugandan Armies confronted each other three times in the center of the city of Kisangani. Traces are still visible of more than 6,000 bombs that have fallen in the city, with several houses having walls broken down or with holes in them. As a result the population of Kisangani lives in indescribable misery.

Kisangani is a city that was evangelized by Protestant missionaries a long time ago, and they built a big university there which today has become Kisangani University managed by the government.

Of the 60 some Communities that make up the Church of Christ in Congo, 23 were already present in Oriental Province, and the CDCC is the 24th, according to the President of the Provincial Synod of the ECC/Oriental Province.

The missionary extension of the CDCC to Kisangani is therefore in its embryonic stage. The Mission is only in 2 of the six communes. We still pray in sheds for the CDCC still doesn’t have buildings here. We have neither church nor residence but the Community has already obtained a suitable lot located in the Segama quarter at the outskirts of the city in the Commune of Mangobo.

Having determined that the responsibility is great, I have listed my dreams, and so I intend:

To begin by training catechists, deacons, elders of the church, lay men and women.
To organize sports activities especially soccer to involve young girls and boys, to reach them and better evangelize them.
To initiate projects of training and/or involvement of women in view of making them self-responsible.
To organize a major EVANGELISM CAMPAIGN in order to make our Community known in Oriental Province.
To construct churches of durable materials in place of bamboo sheds that we now have.
To build a Disciples SCHOOL COMPLEX which would include a kindergarten section, a primary and a secondary school, but in stages up to producing State diplomas.
To build a HEALTH CENTER for the neighborhood where we are located has no health structure and the demand of the Christians is strong.
To pursue the implantation of the CDCC throughout the city of Kisangani in particular, at all the province in general. I emphasize that the Province is vast and it will be divided into 4 provinces in conformity with the new constitution.

Such are my dreams but one question comes to mind, how to do it? It is true that I have run into many difficulties, notably the fact that the nucleus of Christians that I found here doesn’t have any means, but the Christians are strongly motivated to work.

After some official contacts I have determined that the authorities know about the Disciples and expect big accomplishments on our part. They are disposed to help us for the realization of our projects.

I am greatly comforted by my conviction in God who doesn’t abandon his children. Although today the Disciples have neither house nor bicycle at Kisangani, I am reassured that God will provide.

To do this we need your support by PRAYERS.

May God bless you.
JOSEPH KABEMBA